The Wilmslow Green Room is kicking off 2013 with an extraordinary play entitled Polar Bears and is proud to announce that it'll be its first ever UK showing outside of London. Penned by Mark Haddon, author of the world famous "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" book, it is his first stage play.
An adult play, it engages with what some might see as a taboo subject – that of mental illness. However, it is handled with such pathos and insightfulness and with humour too. And whilst the main subject of the play is the unpredictable Kay (Lottie Tyler) whose character suffers from bi-polar disorder, the drama and comic moments arise mostly from her interaction with those around her whose own lives are far from "normal". After all, who decides what is and isn't rational behaviour?
Kay's mother, Margaret (Adele Taylor) is haunted by the suicide of her husband and unwilling to move out of the house in which he died. Her brother, Sandy (Richard Frost) is also haunted by his discovery of his father's body.
And then there is John (Matt Bird) who, as Kay's boring but reliable husband confesses early on to having been attracted to Kay because her eclectic character makes him look more interesting. All display unhealthy behaviour and yet it is Kay that is on medication and periodically institutionalised. The irony is that all three have very selfish relationships with Kay. The mother is the eternal martyr to her care, the brother is in denial regarding her illness and yet overly protective of her and her husband enjoys the fact that Kay is so dependent on him.
Sympathetically directed by Sylvia Stewart, she asks – "If you want something to tickle the thought waves, then Mark Haddon's play will not disappoint. His gift for empathy is evident and his perceptive debut play is a rich tapestry of drama, humour and pathos".
Polar Bears runs at the Wilmslow Green Room's Chapel Lane theatre from Saturday January 26th until Saturday February 2nd. To purchase tickets, call 01625 540933 or visit the Green Room on a Saturday morning between 10.30am and midday. For general information on this and all future productions, go to www.wgrsoc.org.uk.
Photo: Matt Bird (John) and Lottie Tyler (Kay).
This is a member post by Hilary Pinnock.
